Legacy
by RememberMeWhen
Summary: He lowered his lips and swept her up into an amazing passionate kiss. Even after all these years Rose knew she would never waste enough time kissing the Doctor – not even now as the military base exploded around them. This was the day they stopped running.


A/N: I always thought the human Doctor and Rose would never have a normal life on the alternative world. Alternative Earth, alternative TARDIS, alternative universe, alternative threats. Same old Doctor and Rose. I never really could properly see them getting old. It doesn't suit their lifestyle. I prefer to think they went out with a bang. A massive one, at that.

Her name was Rose Tyler. For the first nineteen years of her life nothing happened. Nothing at all.

Until she met a man called the Doctor.

He wasn't human. He was a Time Lord. He transformed her life so she could never go back. She never stayed still. Not ever. She was young and naïve and he was dangerous and mysterious, full of adventure and promise of excitement.

Yes, she was Rose Tyler. For the last thirty years of her life nothing was normal. Nothing at all.

The man beside her was the Doctor. The _human_ Doctor. Her soul mate, her husband, the father of her two children. But even through the domestics and family life, the pair had never stayed still. If they weren't working in Torchwood, they were travelling the stars in their home grown TARDIS. They kept on running and travelling and saving the universe. Except for Christmas and birthdays, of course. The Doctor still loved Christmas.

Their son was a Doctor of Physics in Torchwood and engaged to his co-worker whom he met four years ago. Their younger daughter was also part of the Torchwood leadership team, although sometimes she preferred to go freelance. ('She got that from you,' Rose would complain to her husband. The Doctor would roll his eyes and snort, 'Yeah, says the person who still doesn't know the definition of 'don't wander off.') They would have plenty of grandchildren, no doubt. But Rose knew by the way the Doctor was currently gripping her hand that they would not be there to see their grandchildren.

This was the day they stopped running.

Perhaps it was for the best. They had been bad influences on their own children, not to mention Tony and his children. A new generation of Tyler's could grow up untainted by the dangerous lifestyle of their granddad and grandmother. They could lead normal lives with normal jobs and have beans on toast and chips and watch television. Maybe they wouldn't want to travel the stars and see unexplored planets.

Rose couldn't even attempt to hope that would happen.

But as she stood on the ledge and listened to the Doctor's heavy breathing, she couldn't help but think of the future mingling with her past. So many mistakes, so many what ifs, so many regrets and broken promises. Yet, if her time with the Doctor had taught her anything, it was that she wouldn't have changed it for the world. Every single memory, sad or happy, forgotten or remembered, had made her who she was today; a fifty-three year old who felt more like a teenager.

"'Who are you?' they asked. 'The stuff of legend' you answered. Might as well have raised a sign saying 'we're the biggest threat you'll ever meet,'" said Rose with mock disdain. She gave his hand a squeeze. He snatched his gaze away from the massive drop below them to look her in the eyes. He couldn't help but smile at her mischievous glare despite their current stressful situation.

"I always knew this would happen one day," he whispered, almost to himself. "You're only fifty-three."

Rose looked from his laughter lines to his grey hair. She still couldn't quite believe he was real, even after all this time. The Doctor, an aging human, her husband, was still right here beside her after thirty-four years, with one heart and one life. When did they get old so fast?

It felt like just last week they had met each other at the altar and he had whispered his name in her ear. Just a few days ago Rose was pregnant with their first child. Only yesterday they had celebrated their anniversary.

Good things always come to an end far, far too soon.

"You're only nine hundred and fifty-three," she joked and squeezed his hand. "And completely human."

The explosions behind them were growing louder and louder by the minute. Closer and closer. Rose gave another glance over the impossibly long drop and winced.

This morning they had landed on a planet maddened by warfare. They were mass producing weapons, of all shapes and sizes, functions and features, with a plan to destroy the entire galaxy they resided in – including Earth. All of the weapons of destruction resided on the small moon they stood on right now, encircling the warfare planet. Rose hadn't seen the Doctor _that_ angry in a while. If they didn't do something, everything would be destroyed. It was such a serious threat that the Doctor claimed the original Earth would feel some of the effects. Like aftershocks. They couldn't just stand by and do nothing.

They had to send the TARDIS back to Torchwood on its own so the team could strengthen the Doctor's manipulations of the framework from a safe distance away. That was the moment Rose knew there was no getting out of this. Whatever was going to happen was serious and unavoidable.

If everything was a choice, then this wasn't a hard one. Saving her family, friends, a galaxy and even the original Earth, the one she was born on – it was completely worth it. They wouldn't be the Doctor and Rose, Defenders of the Earth if they hadn't of done this.

Torchwood had no idea what was happening on their end. They thought they were just helping the Doctor and Rose with a small problem on a little planet somewhere. With that thought, Rose suddenly felt guilty.

"They'll be okay, won't they? I mean, they'll understand what we had to do and why we didn't tell Torchwood," Rose voiced her deepest concern. Would their children ever forgive them?

"The TARDIS will explain everything," said the Doctor confidently. "They've grown up with this, Rose. I'm sure they were expecting it to happen one day. I think we all were."

The loudest explosion yet shook the ground beneath their feet. Rose had to blink away a tear that streaked down her cheek.

Rose had helped the Doctor set off the explosive weapons on self-destruct in the safest way possible. It would only destroy this moon, nothing else. They currently were standing on the metallic military base housing the most dangerous of the weapons. One by one they exploded behind them. They were standing on the edge of the building, looking out at the stars and readying themselves to take their final leap of faith. Their biggest one yet.

"I just want to say," began the Doctor, clearing his throat. "Thank you for giving me the most _wonderful_ human life, Rose Tyler. I wouldn't have missed it for the world."

Rose tried to shake the feeling of her lip wobbling. "Don't -"

"No, let me finish." He turned to fully face her. He cupped her face in his palm and stared into her soulful brown eyes. "I never thought, when I was a Time Lord, that I would have the chance to grow old with someone and have a proper life. I hated domestics because I hated what I could never have. But you, Rose Tyler, you _are_ my life. I love you, and I always will, no matter what happens. There is no one in any other universe I would rather have this experience with. You are everything to me."

His thumb wiped way the tears that were telling him how much he meant to her. She had to steady her breathing – and steady her balance as the explosions grew perilously closer – before she could bring herself to speak. "My Doctor," she whispered, her voice hoarse. "I've had the most fantastic life with you. I thought it would never end. But everything ends. At least we had time, yeah? Time we thought we would never have. And I love you. I _really_ do. I love you."

He lowered his lips and swept her up into an amazing passionate kiss. Even after all these years Rose knew she would never waste enough time kissing the Doctor – not even now as the military base exploded around them.

When they broke apart, they both clung to each other for another moment before gathering back their senses. They stayed hand in hand at the edge of the ledge, right next to the large drop. The loud bangs were catching up on them – literally only a few metres away. Rose was finding it hard to keep her footing.

"The first word you ever said to me was '_run_,'" Rose laughed to herself. "We haven't stopped until today."

"Who says we have to stop?" asked the Doctor, his brown eyes glistening with mischief.

He pulled her back, away from the edge. It was only a few paces until they stopped. The heat cascaded onto them from the raging explosions. Trying to keep his nerve, and grasping Rose's hand as if his life depended on it, he whispered, "You alright?"

It was an odd phrase, an odd question. It was more of a reassurance than a real remark. Just this instant he couldn't find the right words to express how he felt. Rose, his loving wife, his soul mate and other half was just _so_ intuitive. Their eyes locked onto one another, and he could see the orange firelight reflect on her iris. They were in this together; them against the world. Whatever lay ahead of them was just another adventure, one they would revel in side by side. As always.

"I'm always alright," Rose replied with a small smile. He thought he'd never loved her more beautiful in his life than that moment. Or, perhaps his heart was making most of the time they had left. The matter of minutes. It was so close now – this was it. No escaping, no last minute rescues. The TARDIS was gone. Torchwood couldn't help now. In a few minutes this moon was going to be a puff of smoke.

But the Doctor and Rose were never ones to sit back and wait for it all to happen. They had just saved an entire galaxy. They were going out like heroes.

Rose closed her eyes for a moment, letting her best memories replay themselves in her mind. There was so much to love and so little time. She took a deep breath, as did the Doctor. They were ready.

"Run!" yelled the Doctor.

Hand in hand, with tears in their eyes and love in their hearts, the Doctor and Rose ran towards the edge of the ledge.

– Just in time. The last explosion racked the building and it started to fall to the ground with a thunderous impact. The same happened all over the alien moon.

Together they fell, as the Doctor and Rose, through time and space, clinging to one another, the mere humans that they were. But their legacy and love immortal.

They would never be forgotten. Not ever. Not by Torchwood, not by the countless planets they'd saved and civilisations they'd helped. Not in the original universe. People sang songs and had many myths and legends about the human Time Lord and his human accomplice, all over the stars.

Still they sang, oblivious to the fact those stories would now be legends and those legends a little gem of the life once had. There would be no more.

Back on the Torchwood base, James Finley was watching the recordings of the planet the Doctor and Rose Tyler – his superiors – had reported to be visiting. Spot of trouble, they'd said. It had taken quite a while for him to find the signal to that planet. People all over the building had been rushing about, trying to help with sending them support through the psychic link they had with the TARDIS.

The TARDIS, which had just emitted the strangest noise. As if it was crying.

"Paul!" shouted James. "Paul, come see this."

Paul, the top in his field of computers, sat down beside him, a cup of tea in his hand. "What am I look at, son?"

"The TARDIS tracked the Doctor and Rose to be here," he gestured at the small moon encircling the planet. Upon closer inspection the alien moon seemed to be emitting smoke and flashing orange. As if it was exploding.

Paul sat up straight, his eyes alight with fear. "Are you sure?"

"Is the TARDIS ever wrong in tracking those two?" snapped James. Panic was truly setting in. There was no way even the Doctor and Rose could survive –

At that moment, Paul put down his tea and stared at the TARDIS. He could see the lights flashing from the inside; he could hear the loud moan of the engines. The man gulped and dipped his head. He placed his hand on James's shoulder. In his softest, most fragile voice, he said, "Call everyone together. Especially the Tyler kids. I think something has happened."

On board the TARDIS – the real TARDIS – the Doctor was standing at the controls, flicking random switches of his beautiful machine. He straightened his bowtie and gave a gentle smile over at River. Time moved differently between the two universes. It had been years upon years ago since the Doctor regenerated into his current tweed jacket and bowtie self. Not so many years ago he had just lost Amy and Rory. But now River Song was popping along for a short visit.

It happened quite suddenly, and definitely unexpectedly. He sensed a change in a timeline, one he kept close to his heart. Somewhere, deep within his minds eye he could see it – he could see their faces, hear the explosions, feel their fear at the jump and the fall… He could see it all. He could _feel_ it all.

After all, it was a huge part of him. He guessed this would happen one day. Still, he wasn't prepared for the emotional after-effects.

He had to sit down and steady himself. His eyes swam with tears as he put his head in his hands and tried to control what he was feeling. It was almost too much.

The Doctor was vaguely aware of River moving next to him, asking what was wrong. But he didn't pay attention for a few moments.

Rose was gone. There was no going back at all now. None. That was it. The last time he would ever see Rose Tyler was walking away from her on that stupid beach on Norway. He knew, all along now, that he wouldn't have been able to see her again. But there was something so final about loss – something so firm about it. This was it. Nothing could change, and he couldn't make it better. Rose was no more.

He remembered back to when she was a brave young girl of nineteen and he had just met her for the first time. She'd captured his heart from the start; with her playful smile and warm personality. He'd watched her grow – not only as a person, she'd become so much more. They used to bet on major historic events, he remembered with a smile. She'd constantly tease him for the way he'd drive the TARDIS. They'd always run, hand in hand, no matter where they went. As the memories came back to him, he realised their stories were now more of legends.

Now he was sitting there, wracked with guilt and misery for what he could never have. What he wanted _so_ much. Another thing he'd screwed up, another missed opportunity. There wasn't even any way for him to pay his respects. There was still a whole universe between them – separating them forever.

When they promised forever, they didn't mean that.

He wanted to lash out in anger. He wanted to go on a moody rampage and show the world how much this wasn't fair. But, he also wanted to curl up and cry, more than he'd ever cried.

What he wanted more than anything, was his Rose Tyler.

But he was the Doctor. Such emotions did not suit him. He did everything he could to cover his broken heart with gallons of glue, and stick the fragments back together.

He would never forget. Never ever.

After a few more minutes, he stood again with his head hanging low. His fingers clung onto the control panel of his TARDIS, his knuckles white with how hard he was holding on. River was staring at him with deep concern in her eyes, and for a moment he was reminded of Rose. He shook his head to clear it.

"What happened? Did you see something?" asked River, grabbing his arm.

The Doctor winced as a single tear fell onto his cheek and his figurative heart broke in two. "I think," he started, voice shaking. "That two of the brightest shining stars in the entire universe have just left me."

* * *

This is the first thing I thought

This is the last thing that I want

You were the first one I loved

You were the first love I lost

(This Is The First Thing/Sinners Never Sleep/You Me At Six)


End file.
